CHAPTER XVI

CONTINUED MISBEHAVIOUR OF THE EGYPTIAN
WOMAN

Y the following Monday it was known at
many looms that something sat heavily on
the Auld Licht minister’s mind. On the pre-
vious day he had preached his second sermon of
warning to susceptible young men, and his first
mention of the word “ woman” had blown even
the sleepy heads upright. Now he had salt fish
for breakfast, and on clearing the table Jean
noticed that his knife and fork were uncrossed.
He was observed walking into a gooseberry-bush
by Susy Linn, who possessed the pionecr spring-
bed of Thrums, and always knew when her man
jumped into it by suddenly finding herself shot
to the ceiling. Lunan, the tinsmith, and two
women, who had the luck to be in the street at
the time, saw him stopping at Doctor McQueen’s
door, as if about to knock, and then turning
smartly away. His hat blew off in the school
wynd, where a wind wanders ever, looking for
hats, and he chased it so passionately that
Lang Tammas went into Allardyce’s smiddy to
say :
“I dinna like it. Of course he couldna afford
172